Skiing with the IDF

Thankfully, when we reached the peaks at Faraya, the lifts were running smoothly:

And the mountains were blanketed:

But, as usual, we had some unexpected visitors:

Ruining that perfect shot:

Crisscrossing over the skies

And down toward the slopes:

Looping and looping:

Letting us know they were there:

At one point, it seemed there were trying to entertain us with shapes:

But I have seen this air show before. And it’s not the kind you want to attend or choose to attend.

These are Israeli fighter aircraft routinely violating Lebanon’s airspace–an air show of intimidation if you will.

We see it so often in Beirut–I’ve posted about them before. Last year there wasn’t enough snow for boarding, but we saw them the one day I went in 2013–see pictures here.

It’s as if they are always there. Some years they bomb, some years they don’t. You’re never quite sure when they are armed and when they are not. Would any other country tolerate this?

But the F16s didn’t stop us from having a good day. Here are a couple panorama shots.

That’s Biblical Mount Hermon (Jabal el Shaykh) in the distance:

This is the view toward North Lebanon (Al Arz) and the Mediterranean is on the far left.
One word of advice for those heading up this year: Put chains for your tires because the roads are not exactly clear:

1 COMMENT

Gorgeous photos, thanks for sharing! And glad you underscored the issue of airspace violations and the utter lack of concern from (or even support from) those in positions to do something about such effrontery.